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Summary of the impact

Welsh migrants had a distinctive impact in the countries in which they
settled, but their contribution remains unacknowledged in many academic or
popular histories, be these of Wales or (for example) the USA. In
addressing this lacuna, Jones's research on the Welsh diaspora has
influenced public and professional understanding of the Welsh specifically
in North America through directing the content of exhibitions, as well as
professional practice in the heritage sector, and by engaging directly
with a diverse range of audiences and professionals to enhance their
understanding of the Welsh diaspora. As an advisor/collaborator with a
range of media companies operating in both the English and Welsh
languages, Jones's research has benefited productions across traditional
and digital media platforms. His expertise is central to informing modern
understandings of Welsh communities overseas and, thus, of the Welsh as a
people with global horizons.

Underpinning research

This case study is underpinned by a research programme into global Welsh
diasporas and migration undertaken by William Jones at Cardiff University
since 1994 and supported by periods of university-funded research leave
(1998-9; 2009-10); funding for research in the UK and overseas; investment
in relevant library resources; and the research community of the Cardiff
Centre for Welsh American Studies.

Jones's research began by examining the Welsh in the USA [3.1] but has
extended to a study of the dynamics of global Welsh migration in the
nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, including case studies of
Argentina (Patagonia), Australia, Chile and Mexico. Only by working
towards a meaningful overview of the globality and diversity of Welsh
overseas experiences is it possible to move away from static models of
discrete immigrant communities unrealistically fixed in time and place.
Jones's research replaces these static models with an understanding of how
local, regional and continental contexts were interwoven in an unstable,
contingent Welsh transnationality.

Jones's research on the Welsh press in America [3.2] and Australia [3.3],
migrant letters [3.4], gender [3.5], and the interrelationships between
Welsh communities in Australia and Latin America [3.6], has explored how a
sense of Welsh transnationality developed, and how it is mistaken to see
the process of emigration as marginal to the mainstream history of Wales
during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. In demonstrating how
Welsh emigration was an experience that had cultural, demographic,
economic and social impact, Jones's research reveals how Welsh identity
changed as emigrants adapted to new cultures and how emigration
literature, including commentaries in the press and letters, influenced
migrants' perceptions of both Welsh identity and the societies in which
they settled. In marking `a significant advance in analysis of immigrant
and ethnic journalism' [Victorian Periodicals Review 36:3 (2003),
290], Jones's co-authored monograph [3.2] emphasised how particular
visions of the `imagined community' that was `Wales in America' were
nurtured through an engagement with the cultural life of the Welsh
Americans and news from Wales. Welsh Reflections not only marked
the first significant contribution to the history of the Welsh-American
influence on the press, but also drew attention to how the language
through which Welsh Americans understood their identities emphasised the
diverse aspects of the Welsh immigrant experience. Jones's research
revealed how emigrants related to their host societies and how they were
integrated; how they wanted to be both recognised as Americans, but also
wanted to be different, to be Welsh in their American-ness, to be American
with qualifications, and to be understood on their own terms. Reviewers
attest that one of the key strengths of Welsh Reflections is the
sophisticated way in which the book conceptualises a renegotiation of
Welshness through the history of Y Drych - The Mirror the
oldest Welsh American newspaper in the US [Journal of Contemporary
History 38:2 (2003), 330].

A key strength of Jones's research is its emphasis on Welsh-language
sources to explore more thoroughly the changing patterns of language use
among Welsh migrants and the migrants' own diverging constructions of
Welsh identity. Throughout his published work, Jones has emphasised the
diversity of Welsh migrant responses as they negotiated the social and
cultural terms on which they settled in different parts of the world. As
such it challenges deeply rooted assumptions that the experience of
emigrating ethnic groups was homogeneous and adds an important
transnational context to debates about the nature of Welsh national
identity.

Overall, Jones's work is important for (a) having demonstrated the
distinctiveness of the Welsh experience (as opposed to the `British') of
migration, (b) for the fullness of its engagement with source materials
and audiences (printed works and broadcast media) in appropriate languages
(Welsh, English, Spanish), and (c) its insistence on the international
connectedness of the Welsh diaspora. The most complete manifestation of
its research impact is to be found in North America, notwithstanding
continuing developments in both Australian and Latin American contexts.

References to the research

3.1 Jones, W (1998). `The Welsh Language and Welsh Identity in a
Pennsylvanian Community', in Language and Community in the Nineteenth
Century. A Social History of the Welsh Language, ed. Geraint H.
Jenkins. Cardiff: University of Wales Press. pp. 261-286. ISBN:
9780708314678

Details of the impact

There are 2 million people of Welsh descent in North America, many avid
consumers of Welshness, keen to know more of their history. Jones has been
committed throughout his career to communicating his work to such
audiences. His insights into the Welsh in North America have:

a) influenced public and professional understanding of the Welsh in North
America by enhancing heritage presentation through a major touring
exhibition, the `Welsh in America', and through accompanying workshops;

b) informed the content and production of programmes and productions on
the Welsh in North America, Australia and South America across traditional
and digital media platforms in the UK.

Enhancing heritage presentation and practice
Building on a long-standing collaboration with the Anthracite Heritage
Museum (Scranton, Pennsylvania), Jones's research was central to the
development of a touring exhibition on the `Welsh in America' (2009-11).
His research informed the overarching interpretive framework of the
exhibition and influenced the main themes explored - the Welsh in
Pennsylvanian coalmining, patterns of emigration, identities - and the
content of the exhibition and accompanying booklet [5.1]. The exhibition
and booklet was organised by the Welsh Government in New York as part of
its remit to showcase the very best that Wales' has to offer and increase
Wales's international profile. Directed at Welsh societies, libraries,
museums and cultural events, the touring exhibition raised awareness of
the Welsh contribution to America as part of a programme to (a) enhance
heritage tourism, and (b) appeal to people with Welsh ancestry unfamiliar
with their roots who wish to explore their Welsh heritage further [5.2].

Launched in 2009 at the Anthracite Heritage Museum, the `Welsh in
America' exhibition travelled to 8 US states and 16 sites. These included
the main lobby of Syracuse Hancock International Airport, New York (with a
throughput in excess of 200,000 passengers during the exhibition run
Nov-Dec 2009), the Annual Global Expo 2010 at Houston, Texas, and the 2009
and 2010 annual North American Festival of Wales (NAFOW), the most
important gathering of Welsh-Americans, which attracts 300-700 attendees
[5.2]. The Anthracite Heritage Museum recorded that 4,555 visitors
attended the exhibition between 1.3.2010 and 31.5.2010, while the Welsh
Government distributed 200,000 booklets based on the exhibition [5.2].
Catrin Brace, head of marketing and public relations at the Welsh
Government in New York, attested that `Dr Jones's research was key to
determining the theme and content of the Wales in America
exhibition...which reached audiences across the US and which provided an
accurate and visually attractive account of the role played by the Welsh
in America' and that within the target market there has been `a marked
increase in awareness and knowledge of Wales' following the exhibition
[5.2].

The exhibition underpinned a series of workshops in the US, extending the
reach to a wider audience, through local history and cultural societies
and public lectures in 5 US states between 2010 and 2012 as part of
Women's History Month, the Welsh Heritage programme of the Anthracite
Heritage Museum, and NAFOW 2012. Writing about Jones's keynote address as
part of the March Charter Day programme at the Anthracite Heritage Museum,
Chester Kulesa, Historic Site Administrator, attested `Dr Jones's
presentation had a profound impact on those in attendance' [5.3]. Feedback
from attendees, including curators, historians and teachers, related how
their understanding had been transformed by Jones's contribution and how
this would inform their professional practice [5.4]. Comments following
Jones's talks at NAFOW 2012 illustrate how others involved in the heritage
sector now present the story of emigration to visitors; for example, as
part the Great Plains Welsh Heritage Project in Wymore, Nebraska or the
Lackawanna Coal Mine Tour, Scranton, Pennsylvania [5.4]. According to the
executive officers of local Welsh history and cultural societies,
including the Great Plains Welsh Heritage Centre and St David's Welsh
Society of Minnesota, these workshops were vital to maintaining these
societies and stimulating local and regional interest in Welsh History
[5.5].

Jones's contribution has equally influenced the curatorial practice of
heritage professionals at the Anthracite Heritage Museum, with Chester
Kulesa stating that Jones's work was `of great importance to the board' as
part of the Museum's `mission to engage the community and tell the story
of the people of the Anthracite Region.' [5.3] According to Kulesa,
Jones's work with the Museum has raised its US profile, and collaboration
with Jones is now an essential part of the Museum's curatorial and
programmatic stewardship related to the ethnic heritage of Scranton [5.3].

Informing media productions and representations of the Welsh in
America
Jones's insights into the Welsh in America have also had an impact on a
wide-range of media productions, including TV programmes and innovative
digital platforms. TV and radio programmes to which Jones has advised on
and contributed to include BBC1's The One Show (29 September 2011
- 3.99 million viewers http://www.barb.co.uk/viewing/weekly-top-30?),
BBC One Wales The Story of Wales (19 March 2012 - 300,000 viewers;
rescreened on BBC2 in October 2012 - 1.46 million viewers; winner of 2
BAFTA Wales awards), S4C's Wedi Saith (23 February, 2011 - 33,000
viewers), Perthyn (11 and 15 May 2011 - 26,000 viewers) and Sam
Hughes: Cowboi Penfro (19 and 26 February 2012 - 27,000 viewers)
and a range of programmes on BBC Radio Wales (e.g. Histories of Wales,
February 2012) and BBC Radio Cymru (e.g. Rhaglen Dei Tomos
February 2011). Jones's contribution has been central to the success of
many these TV and radio projects. For example, independent TV production
company Unigryw, in seeking to get audiences to `reconsider some of our
ideas and preconceptions about the history of Wales' used Jones's research
to make decisions about which individuals to include in a series on Welsh
historical figures. Unigryw attested that Jones's work `was pivotal in
S4C's decision to commission [a series of 6] programmes'. For Unigryw the
series is `of great significance to us creatively and economically', with
Unigryw attesting how Jones's sharing of his research has `had a serious,
positive impact on a SME in Wales.' [5.6]

To enhance public understanding of the Welsh in America, Jones, in
collaboration with BAFTA award-winning director Colin Thomas, has
developed the content for The Dragon and the Eagle, which will
form the focus for a new online cross-platform virtual book (`vook')
combining video and text [5.8]. The vook makes use of second-screen
technologies to allow users to interact with the content of TV programmes
on another device (tablet or smartphone). The focus of The Dragon and
the Eagle is to enable the reader to discover the story of the Welsh
in America through a choice of routes: text with illustrations, videos
summarising the content of chapters, primary sources interpreted in the
text, and animated graphics whose maps and timelines illuminate the
written material. Jones's research has been central to the content
development of The Dragon and the Eagle and is benefiting small
and medium enterprises in the creative industries (e.g. Gorilla Television
Group) in Wales in developing new ways to communicate Welsh history and
getting audiences to interact with the content [5.8].

Comparable examples of impact outside North America
The importance of Jones's research in generating debate about and
understanding of the Welsh overseas and his standing as an authority on
the history of Welsh overseas is manifest in other contexts. His research
on the Welsh in Australia informed the BBC One Wales programme Wales
in Australia presented by Huw Edwards (23 July 2013: 172,000
viewers) [5.8], and the 3-part ITV Wales / Foxtel, History Channel
Australia collaboration Royal Wreck of Gold (24 & 30 July
2013: 274,00 viewers), a Welsh language version Trysor Coll Y Royal
Charter appearing on S4C on 17, 24 and 30 July: 28,000 viewers). In
2010 he was appointed a founding member of Pwyllgor Dathlu 150 (the
Wales-Patagonia 150th anniversary celebrations steering
committee), which is coordinating cultural and educational activity in
advance of the 2015 anniversary of the founding of the Welsh colony in
Patagonia [5.7].

Sources to corroborate the impact

5.2 Testimonials from the head of marketing and public relations, Office
of the First Minister Welsh Government in New York, corroborating Jones's
key input to theme and content of the `Welsh in America' exhibition and
the Welsh Government's assessment of how the exhibition has enhanced
awareness and knowledge of Wales in the US. (01/04/2013; 12/08/2013).

5.3 Testimonial from the Historic Site Administrator, Pennsylvania
Anthracite Heritage Museum on the impact of Jones's research on
Pennsylvania Anthracite Heritage Museum, its community engagement and
curatorial practice. (30/04/2010).

5.4 Feedback forms corroborating how those involved in the heritage
sector now present the story of emigration to visitors following Jones's
talks at NAFOW 2012. (August 2012).

5.5 Testimonial from the former president of the St David's Society of
Minnesota on how Jones's research has stimulated local and regional
interest in Welsh History. (09/04/2010).

5.6 Testimonial from the Producer, Unigryw, on the impact of Jones's
research in the development and commissioning of a series of 6 programmes
for S4C on historic Welsh figures. (17/04/2013).